The New York Kammermusiker, a New York-based group that performs double-reed classical music, is returning for five performances in June and July. The first will be at the Hjemkomst Center in Moorhead, MN on June 26, the second will be in Maddock on Saturday, June 27, followed by Enderlin on Sunday, June 28. The next concert will be in Fargo on June 30, and the final concert will be in Jamestown on July 1, 2015. This is the ninth consecutive year that the distinguished group has brought their musical ensemble to their director’s home state, and its eleventh overall visit.

The New York Kammermusiker is a unique chamber ensemble that travels the world presenting a wide range of double-reed music from the Renaissance through Contemporary periods. This group is known for their experimental and improvisatory performances — often performing music written for their own unique sound — and for the excellence of their performances, regardless of what particular music is on the program. They are consistently good. Formed in 1969 by ND native, Ilonna Pederson, this non-profit organization seeks to reintroduce the instruments and the music of the double-reed band to modern audiences. The group prepares modern scores from long-neglected musical manuscripts they seek out in their travels so that they can bring the music of the shawm bands to modern listeners. The sound is full and resonant, as if a much larger group were playing. The ensemble not only performs, but also speaks with the audience, giving historical and cultural context to the music, making it come alive. The New York Kammermusiker draws from some of the world’s finest musicians for their performances. Members have included musicians from the Vienna Philharmonic, the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, the Munich Bach Orchestra, the Munich Philharmonic, and the State of Mexico Symphony Orchestra.

The music has rhythmic and harmonic unity achieved through the expert musicianship of the players, which distinguishes this group, elevates the music, and moves audiences who experience their performances. For music lovers who wish to experience something new and different, done well and with great skill, they could hardly do better than to spend an evening with The New York Kammermusiker. The musicians will include a contrabassoonist, who will bring a unique, very low-pitched bass sound to the ensemble. The program for this ninth annual tour will include music by W.A. Mozart, J.B. (Johann Bernhard Bach), Scott Joplin, music from the Renaissance by Francesco Lappi, Christian Erbach, Samuel Scheidt, and others, Scandinavian folk music, and a special celebration of North Dakota. The later will feature music dedicated to Theodore Roosevelt.